I have been working in the backyard the last three Saturdays. I had not been monitoring for weeds, and they had claimed about half the useable area. I only noticed because my granddaughters asked me to build them a path through the ‘Jungle’. Weeds had claimed the perimeter all around the back yard to a depth of 10+ feet. There was one weed that was more than 12” in diameter. Removing it would have destroyed my fence. So, I had to compromise by cutting it back partially while leaving the rest. I will have to return to that spot regularly to keep that weed from regaining control. Now that I am paying attention, it is taking a lot of effort to return the backyard to what I want it to be.
Seems there are lessons here I can apply to my relationship with Jesus. I could talk about maintenance, daily prayer and Bible reading, daily effort in the little things that the big things are made of. Instead, I want to look at that BIG 12” diameter weed under the back fence. How had I missed it? For one thing, the weed came under the fence as a small shoot and just laid there. It didn’t grow taller than the fence, so I didn’t see it from the middle of the yard. Meanwhile, numerous small weeds were growing up in front of it. These little weeds were easy to handle, but they were hiding the larger, growing problem from me.
Consider the parable of the Sower; the weeds in our lives that go unchecked choke out the good things that need the soil of our souls to grow. They take the energy and food that other, more Godly areas of our lives need to grow. In the example of the large weed in my backyard, if we let somethings go unchecked too long, they can get to the point where we can’t simply dig them out. They have become a part of our lives that may take a long time to remove or repent of.
May I suggest a practice that I have used for some time now. Several times a year I ask God to show me what I am hiding from myself. He has always shown me something that I need to give over to Him. I pray that we all as the family here at Mandarin, continuously weed our gardens and keep ourselves pure so we will shine like Jesus in our world,
-Chip McGehee